No Plan Yet For Safe Zone, Says Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says that a final plan for a safe zone in northern Syria has yet to be agreed, reports Reuters. 

Ankara remains committed to the plan but its patience has limits, Erdogan told members of his Justice and Development (AK) party on Tuesday. 

If no plan materializes, Turkey can establish a safe zone on its own, he added. 

Turkey seeks to establish the zone with logistical support from its allies and says it should be cleared of the U.S.-backed Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara views as a terrorist group. 

Erdogan also said he would wait only a few weeks for Kurdish fighters to leave the northern Syrian town of Manbij. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have controlled the town since 2016. An agreement was reached with Washington last year on a framework for the YPG to depart the area. 

The issue is expected to top the agenda on Wednesday during a meeting in Washington to bring together countries fighting the Islamic State. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is slated to attend.

The issue has been under discussion since President Trump announced a surprise withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria in December. 

Since then, U.S. policymakers have sought to achieve guarantees of safety for allied Kurdish fighters.